Melina
Melina was the 660th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 434 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 456th with 681 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 66 places. More babies were named Melina in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning origin uncertain (Greek; or short for Amelina) · Greek, Latin
Say it muh-LEE-nuh /məˈlinə/
- Rank in 2025
- #660 girls, down 12 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 434girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2009681 babies
- Total since 1880
- 19,926babies recorded
What does the name Melina mean?
Melina has several possible sources and no single documented meaning. Wiktionary notes that it can be read as a short form of names like Amelina or Carmelina, and that modern German use comes mainly from the stage name of the Greek actress Melina Mercouri, whose real name was Maria Amalia. A link with Greek meli, honey, is often suggested but is not confirmed by our sources. In the US Melina has been used since the 1880s.
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several possible origins; the 'honey' gloss is unconfirmed.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'honey' (Greek meli). Plausible-sounding but not documented in our sources..
Related names: Amelina, Carmelina, Melinda, Malina.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Melina' (German section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Melina
The usual nicknames for Melina are Mel. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Melina in the last five years, 3 were named Mel, against 3 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mel · also for Amelia, Melody, Melanie | Modern | #7,031 | 75 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Melinas go by each one.
Melina popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #660 | 434 |
| 2020 | #648 | 445 |
| 2010 | #504 | 593 |
| 2000 | #543 | 480 |
| 1990 | #824 | 238 |
| 1980 | #849 | 184 |
| 1970 | #1,400 | 75 |
| 1960 | #2,788 | 20 |
| 1950 | #3,595 | 10 |
| 1940 | #4,823 | 5 |
| 1930 | #4,388 | 6 |
| 1920 | #4,768 | 6 |
| 1910 | #2,067 | 7 |
| 1900 | #2,120 | 5 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Melina, counting every spelling?
Melina is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #642 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #660 for Melina on its own. Together these spellings went to 451 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melina | 434 | #660 | 2,279 |
| Melyna | 6 | #14,350 | 36 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Melina?
434 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Melina (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Melina born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Melina.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Melina?
About 19,300 people born in the US named Melina are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 11 and 31. That makes Melina mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Melina by state
How common Melina was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (2.1×), Connecticut (2.1×), Arizona (2.1×), Massachusetts (2.0×), California (1.8×). In 17 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Melina: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Melina, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Melina · Sibling names for Melina
Questions about the name Melina
What does Melina mean?
Melina is usually explained as “origin uncertain (Greek; or short for Amelina)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Melina?
Melina was the 660th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 434 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 456th with 681 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 66 places. More babies were named Melina in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Melina a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Melina in the US.
Where is Melina most popular?
In 2021–2025, Melina was most common in Nevada (0.60 per 1,000 girls), followed by Connecticut and Arizona.